Romney’s religion may be an issue

Re “A Mormon for President? Voters Balk,” Times/Bloomberg Poll, July 3

Generally, citizens of Massachusetts don’t think it’s polite to question someone’s religion. Thus, the fact that Gov. Mitt Romney is an active member of the Mormon church was seen as good, but his beliefs were ignored. That will surely not be the case when people in the rest of the country learn more about what Mormons believe, such as the teaching that God was once a being like we are now.

Romney shouldn’t be required to justify his faith or defend his church any more than John F. Kennedy in 1960. But it is the right wing of the Republican Party that has made religion a critical issue, so it will be interesting to see where those people go with the Mormon controversy.

MICHAEL CALMES

Boston